Hadi Bastani and Maryam Sirvan – trans​.​placed

It’s wonderful to hear one of my favorite sound designers, Maryam Sirvan come up with new material.  She is paired with fellow expatriate Hadi Bastani in this 20-minute mini-LP of electroacoustics and field recordings.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “Stretching from Berlin to Tbilisi, trans.placed starts with the simple act Continue Reading

William Ryan Fritch – Heavy EP

One of the great composers I have had the pleasure of reviewing is William Ryan Fritch.  This EP is his latest, and these notes come from his latest EP via his Bandcamp site: “‘Heavy’, from composer William Ryan Fritch is a bombastic and ever-moving work that draws equally from the Continue Reading

Steve Von Till – A Life Unto Itself

Many, many years ago I was a fan of the sludge-metal band Neurosis, who first came to my attention with a booming cover of Joy Division’s classic, Day Of The Lords.  What I didn’t know until a week ago is that their guitarist, Steve Von Till released a gothic-Americana album Continue Reading

Phil Tomsett & Aaron Martin – At Sea

We have had the pleasure of reviewing the work on cellist Aaron Martin in the past, but it’s nice to see a new release with him collaborating on a project with accordeonist Phil Tomsett which, ironically, began in London.  From the release’s Bandcamp site: “At Sea grew out of my Continue Reading

[vinylconnection.com.au] STILL BLOOMING GOOD

One of the holy grails of rock music is the making of an album that defies time. The Stone Roses achieved this with their 1989 self-titled debut, a … STILL BLOOMING GOOD The excellent blog Vinyl Connection reminisces about how impactful the debut album of the Stone Roses actually was.

Atman – Personal Forest

Our dear friends at the Lollipoppe Shoppe have released a freakily good album out of 1990s Poland.  From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Atman was an eco-activist collective, that released tape-only pastoral dwelling jams in the fine Polish-Jazz tradition… Hamered dulcimer and exotically tuned 12-string guitars among basket-loads of unknown sounds, Continue Reading

Willos’ – From Now On

Willos’ are an Italian/Irish/Canadian folk band currently based in lovely Siena, Italy.  The name of the band is a play on Will o’ the Wisp, the band’s original name.  According to their bio, a French journalist that named the band “les willos”, it the name stuck. The music is bright, fresh, Continue Reading

Tündra – Voces del Desarraigo (Voices of the Uprooting)

Tündra are a massively interesting bands from La Rioja, Spain, mainly famous for its red wine and its location on the Camiño de Santiago.  The music shows traditional Iberian and Celtic roots, and one can hear influences from bands like Milladoiro and Dead Can Dance in pieces here and there.  Continue Reading